Meaning
by Stefan-sama
Summary: In which the collegiate Misato Katsuragi, alone for years, meets Akagi Ritsuko and Kaji Ryoji, subsequently making her first friends.


**I don't really feel ready to assume the mantle of "Evangelion fanfic writer" yet... That probably comes through, since I'm sure I got pretty much everyone's character wrong. Then again, it's set in their college years, when the three first met, so maybe that qualifies as an excuse... Ah, well. At least I don't have to do Shinji or even any of the main characters yet. Man, he really IS a "gay emo kid", if anyone gets that joke. But that takes me to my next point. It may seem kinda sacriligeous, but I've only watched the first episode of the anime (although I did watch End of Evangelion, in addition to following along with the story), instead reading the manga. Shinji actually has a personality in it! But along those lines, that might also cause for some of the theoretical mischaracterization in here. It may seem both kinda short and fast-paced stacked on top of that, in addition, but please forgive any of these flaws and enjoy!**

**Meaning**

Misato didn't enjoy schooling in particular. There was the occasional subject she enjoyed, but all in all her classes were generally pretty boring. Then again, she didn't enjoy life in particular. But it was all she'd known, after the Second Impact. College didn't change too much of that. Just get up, go, come home, sleep, repeat. Not much meaning to her life, but then again, she didn't have any reason for living it in the first place.

That didn't change much on a day-to-day basis. Don't talk unless talked to, and then keep it to a minimum of five words. In fact, she had only started speaking again at all very recently. It caused much less trouble that way, and so her answer was rather predictable when called on.

"Katsuragi, please explain symbiosis."

"Together-life."

It was a rather short answer, but thankfully most of her teachers understood her preferences, as did this one, and he moved on to another student without a word as she stared out the window blankly. It answered the question, and that was good enough for him. On the other hand, almost none of her peers did, and it was a rare thing indeed for her to be spoken to at all. She was almost forgotten on every class list, but that was, again, fine by her. Being alone suited her tastes.

Therefore, it was a very large surprise to her when, for the first time in years, someone sat down in front of her during the lunch period that day. She recalled vaguely from her English class that the girl was a transfer student, from northern Japan or something like that, as the blonde-haired woman in question and in front of her began unpacking her lunchbox and talking. "Hello. Katsuragi-san, was it? Akagi Ritsuko."

She raised an eyebrow and closed her eyes, as if annoyed, and turned her attention back to her cold instant ramen. "Hello." There was an awkward silence for a few moments, punctuated by the loud sounds of Misato's chewing.

The newcomer grinned nervously, scratching the back of her head, grasping desperately for a topic, being surprised at Misato's bluntness. "So, um… In math today, what'd you get for question… Uh… Thirty-six?"

"Seventy-three."

"Really? I came up with x being equal to eighty-fi-"

"Seventy-three."

"Oh," Akagi Ritsuko attempted to reply. She bit her lip and subsequently licked it. "What are you eating there?" she asked with a bite of her own egg.

"Ramen," came the reply. Again, silence. "Am I expected to ask the same of you…?"

Akagi Ritsuko let out a slight laugh, causing Misato to respond with a twitch of annoyance, being so used to quietness. "It'd sure be nice, but from what I know of you so far, you probably wouldn't like it, so no, you don't have to."

"Good."

Again, Akagi Ritsuko scratched the back of her head, but this time let out a slight chuckle. "Sorry, I've never been really good talking with people. If I'm bothering you, I can leave." She got up, scooping up her lunch and preparing to migrate to another table.

Misato raised her head and looked on into the crowd at the now disappearing form of the back of who might very well have been the first person ever to show her even the slightest bit of interest. "W- Wait!" she cried, and even her own volume surprised her, despite being just a bit louder than a pin dropping to the ground. Nonetheless, Akagi Ritsuko somehow heard her, and turned around mid-step. "…Come back."

Grinning, the other woman completed her turn and sat back down, re-unpacking her foodstuffs. "Glad to hear I'm wanted." Misato nodded in reply slowly, unsure how to respond as Akagi Ritsuko placed her elbows on the table. "You want to be friends?"

"…Yes." Ritsuko laughed and smiled at her, and Misato did the same, albeit slightly more nervously.

True to their promise, the two stuck together like glue from that day forward, going to and from classes, eating lunch, and when Ritsuko moved into the dorms, the two even shared a room. Misato herself changed as well. During the beginnings of their relationship, it would always be Ritsuko talking, but as Misato spent more time with her, and was introduced to everything she had missed in her depression, she slowly became more friendly, more talkative, and definitely much more rambunctious.

"Katsuragi!" Blinking, Misato looked up from her daydreaming to face the angry face of her mathematics professor about a centimeter away from hers and brandishing a ruler. "Pay attention, please!"

"I would, but I did once and it never paid me back."

Her classmates cracked up at this, clapping and cheering at her bluntness. Disgruntled at his loss of control, the professor leered at her as he pushed up his spectacles and resumed lecturing. Ritsuko, who sat behind her, leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "I didn't think you had it in you. Nice job."

Misato smirked as she flipped open her notebook. "Thanks."

"You've really changed since I first met you, you know that?"

"You think?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and looking back at her friend. Ritsuko nodded emphatically. "Huh, I hadn't noticed. Well, I guess so, but I'm just glad I did at all," she said as she turned her music player a bit louder.

The weather that day was much nicer than usual for Japanese winter, so the students were let outside for lunch hour. As usual, Misato and Ritsuko sat under the campus cherry blossom tree next to each other, tearing voraciously into their respective foods, the former with, predictably enough, instant curry, and the latter with rice. Unlike usual, however, Misato noticed the tip of a leather shoe protruding from behind the base of the tree behind her friend as she reached down for her soda.

"Uh, Ritsuko," she began with a pointed index finger. "You might want to turn around, I think there's someone-"

She got no further in speaking, however, as mid-turn a finger flew out of nowhere and flicked Ritsuko on the forehead, causing her to fall on her back, smoke billowing from her face, as the figure stepped out from behind the tree with a smug grin. The man was tall and lanky, his eyes half-focused, and his black hair tied back in a ponytail. "Yo, Ritsu-chan!" he said loudly. "Didn't I tell you to stay on your guard?"

She sat up moodily, rubbing her head, and glared at him. "I told you to call me Akagi! And pray tell why the hell you, of all people, has to enforce that?!"

Misato watched on, clueless, as the two argued back and forth. "I think that's obvious," the stranger said, crossing his arms behind his head. "Who knows what might happen to such a pretty little girl?"

She tried to slap him, but he caught her arm in midair. Then she raised her left hand and connected with his cheek successfully. "I don't need some idiotic womanizer like you telling me that, thank you very much. Besides, what happened to the last broad you were hounding?"

He staggered, taken aback. "Hey, I take offense to that. Just because she left me for that bastard without so much of a glance backwards doesn't reflect anything on me, okay?" Misato let out a giggle, and he instantly rounded on her, putting his eyes down level to hers. "Hell, I don't even know you and you're laughing in my face. Nice going, Ritsuko!"

She laughed, pointing her finger, touching the bridge of his nose. "An idiot like you doesn't deserve anything better. And lay off Misato, trash like you doesn't deserve to even be within two feet of her, she's way too good for you."

He turned his head back to her. "I take offense to that, too, you know!" Then he turned his attention back to Misato, taking her hand in his. "Misato, hm? What a beautiful name, fitting for such a beautiful girl."

"I said lay off her, Kaji!"

Laughing, Misato waved her hand at her friend, dismissing her. "It's okay, I don't mind him. This is the most fun I've had in a while, and besides, if he gets too close, his ass is getting kicked with full force."

Kaji laughed too, smacking Ritsuko again with the back of his hand. "See, Ristu-chan, this is how a girl is supposed to act! You just can't appreciate my gentlemanliness, so please leave this lovely young lady and me alone." Sighing, she did as obliged, muttering to herself as she walked to the garbage disposal. "Kaji, Kaji Ryoji. Care to grace me with your full name?"

"Katsuragi Misato. If I recall correctly, Ritsuko's told me a lot about you."

He made a face, crossing his arms. "Never mind her, she's mostly lying anyway. I am actually a very nice person, and remember that humans are flawed by nature, so don't judge me. But on to you. Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen in my life?"

Ritsuko took her hand out of her pocket and cupped it around her mouth as she began walking back to them. "Be careful, he says that to every girl he meets!"

Grinding his teeth, he muttered "Shut up, shut up, shut up…" under his breath. Then, straightening up, he took her chin in his fingers, turning her face upward, towards his own. "Never mind that, they are very beautiful nonetheless. And your lips, they look so soft and velvety… And your hair, how it glistens in the light…"

Again, Ritsuko called out. "Nothing I haven't heard him say before!"

Misato laughed again. "Okay, okay, Ritsuko. I get it, he's a shameless womanizer." Kaji hung his head with a sigh at this. "You too, Kaji-san. I get it, I'm hot. Is there something else you wanted, or can I kick you now?"

He let out a cough, which he covered with his hand, and bowed down low, his hands on his knees, his face bent almost to his knees. "Please go out with me, Katsurasagi-san."

Bending down to face him, she stifled yet another giggle. "Do people normally bow in submission when they're asking for a date?"

He cocked his head to the side with yet another good-natured grin. "Eh. I figure Ritsuko's already left me with a bad enough impression, so it can't hurt to lower and debase myself to get that date."

Collectively, Misato laughed and Ritsuko snorted. The latter made to drag Kaji away by the ear, but was stopped by the former responding to his question, raising a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughing.

"Alright, then. You've got yourself that date."

Upon hearing this, Kaji immediately leaned in, pulling on the collar of Misato's jacket, and met her lips with his own in a passionate kiss, right then and there, in front of almost half of the alumni looking on. Misato was, understandably, surprised, but managed to return the kiss. They stayed that way for a while, simply enjoying it, until they were torn apart quite suddenly by a very irked Ritsuko.

"Dammit, Kaji!" she yelled in his ear. "Have you no shame?! Misato is a clean, respectable woman, and trash like you will not sully her!"

The two began squabbling again, walking back inside as the lunch bell rang to signal its end. Misato walked behind them, watching the pair, and closed her eyes, thinking to herself.

_Thank you, both of you._

She walked quicker and caught up with them, joining in with their laughter.


End file.
